Mouse study shows how a virus may trigger diabetes

New research conducted in mice has shown how coxsackievirus B type 4 — an enterovirus, a virus transmitted through the intestines — may be able to trigger diabetes in people who have the virus. The research, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, may also be valuable in exploring whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus at the heart of the current pandemic, can trigger diabetes. Diabetes According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is an ongoing health condition that affects how a person’s body transforms food into energy. As a person consumes food and drinks, their blood sugar increases. Their pancreas then produces the hormone insulin, which enables cells to access this blood sugar. However, a person with diabetes may not be able to either make good use of insulin (type 2 diabetes) or produce enough of it (type 1 diabetes). Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes, accounting...